VISION
The University of Toronto Iron Dragons originate from and represent the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and Skule™ at regattas throughout the summer. The club, coached by engineering alumni and driven by a mix of veteran and rookie paddlers from across U of T, is constantly changing and developing. In order to maintain a standard of excellence and a sense of community, our club strives to:
Provide an opportunity for engineering undergraduates to learn and compete in the sport of dragon boating.
Encourage physical fitness, a balanced lifestyle, as well as build teamwork, communication and cooperation among members.
Increase the profile of Skule™ and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering within the University of Toronto and the dragon boat community.
We aim to maintain this vision through the motivation and hard work of the team, which is constantly striving to improve. Our goals as a club are for all of our paddlers to know the stroke thoroughly and be able to teach the basics as well as to be smarter, faster, and stronger both in and out of the boat.
HISTORY
The University of Toronto Iron Dragons team was formed in 1997 by David Phillips (MECH 0T0) and Katherine Wong (CHEM 0T0) to allow U of T engineering students and alumni to participate in the exciting and rewarding experience that is dragon boating. The team consisted of a single crew and was the start to what would eventually become a huge community of successful paddlers.
A member of Iron Dragons from the very start, notable paddler Stanis Yu (CHEM 9T9+1) became coach in 2002, a position which he retained for more than a decade. As the team developed even further, a second crew was formed in 2012 in order to take on even more paddlers who were dedicated to learning the sport and competing in the name of Skule™. The two crews became Iron Dragons Blue and Gold.
In 2015, the Iron Dragons competed in the Canadian National Championships for the first time. Since then, Iron Dragons has won the University division all three times and the U24 division twice (in 2015 and 2016). Additionally, a recreational crew (Purple) was formed in 2016, allowing Iron Dragons to compete at both the competitive and recreational level. With three mixed crews, Iron Dragons has around 80 paddlers every year.